Merseyside (/ˈmɜːrzisaɪd/ MUR-zee-syde) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Welsh county of Flintshire across the Dee Estuary to the southwest, and the Irish Sea to the west. The largest settlement is Liverpool. The county is highly urbanised, with an area of 249 square miles (645 km2) and a population of 1.42 million. The majority of the population live in the Liverpool Built-up Area (864,122), which is the sixth most populous urban area in the UK, and the Birkenhead Built-up Area (325,264). After the city of Liverpool (552,267) the largest settlements are Birkenhead (143,968), St Helens (91,703), Southport (91,703), and Wallasey (60,284). The county is governed by its five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and Liverpool. The boroughs primarily collaborate through Liverpool City Region combined authority, which also includes the borough of Halton from Cheshire. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)